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Above & Beyond - Solomon's Dimension

ABOVE AND BEYOND: SOLOMON'S DIMENSION

Excerpts of Pastor Chidi Umeh Ujubuonu's Message at the Sunshine Service on Sunday, June 26, 2016

Bible Text: "Now to Him who is able to carry out His purpose and do super-abundantly more than all that we dare ask or think infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams, according to His power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20 [AMP]).

Solomon was a man who sat at the feet of his father all the time. Same as Jacob that spent time with his father, Isaac who passed down landmarks of righteousness which Jacob held unto. Solomon did the same with David. David was man who lived in the Old Testament but had a New Testament mentality. In the Bible, Apostle Paul made references to the life of David. For example, in Ephesians 4:8, Paul said God gave gifts to men. David first said this in Psalm 68:18. David was able to pass down a lot of things to Solomon. One of the things he passed down to Solomon was what Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20.

David passed the New Testament principles he had seen into the life of Solomon. When Solomon became king over Israel after David died, something significant happened that had never happened before. Solomon went to Mount Gibeon, retained the priest there, and said the temple in Jerusalem was open to anyone to come and worship God as he or she pleased. He also killed a thousand animals to be used as burnt sacrifice unto the LORD. Immediately the sacrifices were offered, the LORD appeared to Solomon. In theology, this is referred to as Theophanic.Solomon had twotheophanic experiences with God. The first was when he made the sacrifice and the second was after he had built the temple, and was about to dedicate it.

Apostle Paul says to us that God is able to do far above and beyond what we can ever ask or think. We need to look critically at the background of Ephesians 3:20. The greatest resistance Paul faced as a missionary was in the city of Ephesus. He did not just face religious cynics and skeptics, he also had to face merchants who had formed a local chamber of commerce that was strong and was led by a man called Demetrius. Demetrius was a Diana-worshipping silversmith who incited a riot against Apostle Paul. Paul fought against the business of Demetrius (1 Corinthians 15:32) and destroyed the cartel.

One of the things that happened during Solomon's time was that the nation came into a place of economic abundance. Israel started exporting and the Jews sold things all over the world. It took God's love in the life of Solomon for Israel to prosper. There were three things God did in Solomon's life but Solomon had to initiate it. Solomon initiated a pattern of sacrifice to God and as soon as he did so, he had the theophanic experience with the LORD.

From the beginning, God gave Solomon strong mental capacity through wisdom and Solomon wrote about many things (1 Kings 4:29). Solomon's fame was noticed abroad (1 Kings 10). Men will come from far and wide to bless you because of the wisdom and mental capacity the LORD is giving to you in Jesus Name.

God gave Solomon physical and material wealth. As soon as Solomon had an encounter with God, Hiram king of Tyre suddenly brought everything that Solomon needed, and it was far above and beyond. He also provided workers in shift on behalf of Solomon from the land of Tyre. Men will seek you from far and wide. Men and institutions will summon you for blessings in Jesus Name (Isaiah 55:5). Solomon's influence permeated the whole world. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed a prophetic prayer to God that if any man came there to call upon God's name, God should hearken and listen. That temple site was where Abraham sacrificed Isaac and the same site for David's threshing-floor of the Jebusites (2 Chronicles 3:1).

With all of Solomon's mental capacity, material and physical acquisition, something tragic happened to him. It started when he decided to get a wife from the ungodly nations around him. This was his first blunder because his father had warned him not to marry from the ungodly nations. As soon as Solomon took Pharaoh's daughter into his house, problems started but God was still with him. Later, his going after strange women who took him to strange gods, made him to derail, depart and deviate from the things of God, and he eventually lost the kingdom of Israel. In this season of above and beyond, you will not derail, depart, or deviate from the things of God in the name of Jesus. God is emptying some dimensions of His blessings and glory, so that you can become a witness of His glory.

The 120 years of rule by Saul, David and Solomon in Israel is regarded as the most golden period of Israel. God wanted to extend the life span and kingdom reign of Solomon over Israel beyond 40 years but because of his mistake of marrying strange women, God ripped the kingdom apart and gave it to one of Solomon's servants. This shall not be your portion. You will receive everything God has bestowed upon you and belongs to you from the foundations of the earth.

WHY SOLOMON LOST HIS KINGDOM

1. Solomon became complacent and lost all God wanted to do for him above and beyond his dimensions. To live above and beyond, you must not be at ease or become complacent (Judges 18:7-9). Amos 6:1 says "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!"

2. Solomon started forgetting the things his father, David taught him. David impacted his generation so much that he is still talked about till today. Till today, everything in Israel is centered around David.

Paul's language to the Ephesus church was different from the one to other churches. Paul was trying to the Ephesians that the Ephesus church came into a place of great maturity. The church in Ephesus gained maturity, Solomon did not gain maturity in the things of God.

Are you saved? Are you born-again? Is your life like that of Solomon? You might have all the acquisitions and mental capacity, but if you are not connected to the LORD, then it is all a waste. If you are not born-again or saved, surrender your life to Jesus today. If you have you given your life to Jesus before but have backslided, re-dedicate your life to Jesus today. Don't let today go without you being saved. When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, He will accept you, forgive your sins, renew your heart, renew your life, write your name in the Book of Life, and take charge of your life.

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RCCG Israel is a mission of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), one of the largest and fastest growing Pentecostal churches in the world. RCCG started in 1952 with just 12 members but has today grown into a mega church with parishes spread across the five continents of the world.